The present invention relates to a novel pontoon which is especially useful in the construction of marinas.
Pontoons have been constructed of many materials such as metal and concrete. U.S. Pat. No. 3,091,203 describes a concrete floating wharf structure which utilizes concrete pontoons. U.S. Pat. No. Re. 24,837 again utilizes concrete pontoons with tie rails or whalers extending between the floats to hold them together. Bolts are embedded in the concrete to hold the tie rails. U.S. Pat. No. 3,128,737 used a through rod construction in place of the insert bolts.
More recently, pontoons for marinas have been constructed of plastic-like material. For example, reference is made to U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,041,716 and 4,051,591, which employ high density polyethylene material for the pontoon shell.
Although the plastic-like pontoon shell is resistant to salt water deterioration and easy to manufacture, this pontoon lacks the durability of the concrete pontoon; especially in the upper portions which are used as the deck and the means for connecting adjacent pontoons.
A pontoon which exhibits the advantages of the concrete and plastic-like floats would be an advance in marina construction.